1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tool for deactivating sprinkler heads and, more particularly, to a hand tool for sealing valves within sprinkler heads to stop the flow of water therefrom.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Automatic fire suppression systems, particularly fire sprinkler systems, have found wide spread use throughout a variety of buildings and other structures given their effectiveness in reducing property damage, injury, and loss of life from fires. Conventional automatic sprinkler systems typically include a plurality of sprinkler heads connected to a source of water. When a sprinkler head detects a fire, a valve is released thereby permitting the flow of water therethrough. It is not uncommon for a single sprinkler head to supply water at a rate of approximately 100 gallons per minute.
As may be readily appreciated, once activated, the sprinkler head will quickly deluge the surrounding area with water such that items kept in the vicinity of the sprinkler head may quickly suffer from water damage. Additionally, malfunctions of sprinkler heads may be caused by the head suffering impact or due to greatly varying ambient temperatures. Both of these conditions may cause inadvertent activation of the sprinkler head.
Upon activation of the sprinkler heads, firefighters will typically be the first to respond and deactivate the sprinkler heads. Conventionally, the release of water from the sprinkler heads is prevented by deactivating the sprinkler system as a whole at a main water flow control valve. The deactivation of a single sprinkler head is often attempted by inserting or jamming a wood wedge into the head in order to seal the flow of water therefrom. Unfortunately, such prior art attempts to deactivate single sprinkler heads is capable, at best, of arresting only a portion of the flow of water. As a result, a substantial amount of water damage typically occurs before the system as a whole may be deactivated. Additionally, recessed head sprinklers provide an additional difficulty in inserting wedges to prevent the flow of water.
Therefore, there remains a need for a tool capable of quickly, effectively, and reliably deactivating a sprinkler head by stopping of the flow of water therethrough.
The present invention provides a hand tool for deactivating a sprinkler head to stop the flow of water therefrom. The sprinkler head may be of conventional design as including a spacer positioned intermediate a valve and a receiving support, the valve supported by the spacer in releasable sealing engagement with a valve seat.
The tool of the present invention includes a housing having a side wall with at least one elongated slot and defining an interior chamber. The housing further includes a proximal end, an opposing distal end, and a longitudinal axis extending between the proximal and distal ends.
A first arm extends outwardly from the distal end of the housing and includes a first support portion extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis. A first jaw portion extends substantially perpendicularly to the first support portion and supports a first engagement surface.
A second arm is slidably received within the interior chamber of the housing and is supported for movement relative to the first arm. The second arm includes a second support portion which extends substantially parallel to the first support portion. A second jaw portion extends substantially perpendicularly to the second support portion and supports a second engagement surface. The first and second engagement surfaces are adapted for positioning intermediate the valve and the receiving support of the sprinkler head.
A compression spring is operably connected to the second arm for urging the second engagement surface away from the first engagement surface. At least one handle is supported by the second arm and is moveable relative to the housing within the at least one elongated slot. A protective sleeve is slidably supported by the housing and substantially covers the at least one elongated slot. The compression spring is supported within the housing intermediate a pin and the at least one handle. A resilient base is supported by the proximal end of the housing and is adapted to be received within the palm of the user.
In operation, the user positions the resilient base of the tool within the palm of his or her hand and then slidably moves the second jaw downwardly toward the first jaw by pressing down on the at least one handle. This action brings the first and second engagement surfaces towards each other. Next, the user places the first and second jaws intermediate the valve and the receiving support of the sprinkler head. The user then releases the handle such that the compression spring drives the second jaw portion away from the first jaw portion. In response, the second engagement surface and first engagement surface are spread apart, thereby causing the valve of the sprinkler head to move upwardly and into engagement with the valve seat for stopping the flow of water from the sprinkler head.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tool for quickly, effectively, and reliably deactivating a sprinkler head by stopping the flow of water therethrough.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a sprinkler head deactivating tool which minimizes the damage resulting from the undesired and continuous flow of water from the sprinkler head.
It is a another object of the present invention to provide such a tool which is capable of being easily carried and stored by the user.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a tool for deactivating a sprinkler head and including a pair of separable engagement surfaces for placing the valve of a sprinkler head against its valve seat.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.